Thomas Bellink, auteur chez State of Digital Publishing

Digital publishers looking to maximize their revenue should consider folding native advertising campaigns into their monetization model. A study conducted in 2017 found that native ad campaigns could help publishers boost click-through rates (CTRs) by as much as ninefold(PDF download). While the study is showing its age now, the fact that native ad spending has accounted for the lion’s share of the display ad market over the last five years suggests its findings still hold true. Unlike banner ads, which can be disruptive and negatively impact user experience, native ads blend seamlessly with content, leading to higher engagement and CTR. US native ad spend is projected to grow by 12% year on year in 2023, regaining some of its growth momentum after slowing in 2022. US native ad spend is projected to grow by 12% year on year in 2023, regaining some of its growth momentum after slowing in 2022. Source: InsiderIntellinece Native ad networks specialize in placing ads that match the style and consistency of the publisher’s existing content. Leading native advertising platforms offer advanced monetization opportunities and customization to match the look and feel of a brand’s site. The best native advertising platforms connect advertisers with publishers, offering a range of tools to create and track ads, and serving native ads that blend in with content. These platforms emphasize user experience and revenue generation for publishers, effectively reaching specific audiences. Networks will take a cut of the ad revenue, usually around 50%. Each native ad network has its own agreements, and it’s possible that these terms may change from publisher to publisher. Before we dive into our list of the 15 best native ad networks in 2022, let’s quickly review what native ad networks are and the various types of native advertising. What Are Native Ad Networks? Native advertising networks are the distributor of native ads, connecting advertisers and publishers while offering specialized functions for native advertising campaigns. These networks seamlessly blend ads into the rest of the publisher’s content, ensuring that native ads are unintrusive. Many native advertising networks develop ways to integrate ads into content without disrupting the flow or the user experience (UX). These networks provide another source of revenue for publishers without compromising their site’s look and feel. Content recommendation-based native ads can be particularly useful as they provide the feeling of scrolling through a social media platform, keeping audiences engaged. Native ads can command higher CTRs than display ads because they’re less intrusive than other ad formats, leaving audiences less frustrated compared to other interruptive ads(PDF download). Native advertising networks can also simulate content syndication platforms, offering publishers the chance to share their content with other places on the web, while also providing a backlink back to their site. This can help optimize the original article’s search engine ranking and reach new audiences, especially as the top native ad networks help reach those audiences through features like live monitoring and A/B testing. Types of Native Advertising While there are many different types of native ads, with some ad networks creating unique varieties, four types tend to be used across all native ad networks: Content recommendation In-article native ads Video ads In-feed native ads Programmatic native advertising platforms automate the process of connecting advertisers with publishers in real-time through bidding. These platforms, such as Outbrain, provide tools and technology to help marketers plan, create, and measure the performance of their native advertising campaigns. Content Recommendation Content recommendations tend to appear at the bottom of an article and showcase suggested articles for individual users. They tend to appear as a list and are usually highlighted as sponsored content. Here’s a screenshot of a content recommendation panel at the bottom of a CNN article. Here’s a screenshot of a content recommendation panel at the bottom of a CNN article. Source: CNN In-Article Native Ads An in-article native ad comes between two different paragraphs in the middle of the article. It will usually appear in a list similar to the content recommendation ad. These are useful for audiences to view ads as they scroll through the article, while still allowing them to control the amount of time they view the ad. If they want to ignore it, they can just scroll past. Here’s an example taken from Forbes. These in-article ads lead to sponsored posts published on Forbes’ site. These in-article ads lead to sponsored posts published on Forbes’ site. Source: Forbes Video Ads A native video ad doesn’t act as a barrier for users looking to consume a publisher’s content, in the way a pre-roll video would. Instead, the videos are click-to-play, meaning they start playing at first without sound, and then a user can opt into the ad by clicking the video. A screenshot of a native video video ad, with the sound muted, that started playing as soon as we scrolled past it A screenshot of a native video ad, with the sound muted, that started playing as soon as we scrolled past it. Source: VideoGamer In-Feed Native Ad The in-feed native ad appears in the middle of a social media feed. These are designed to reappear in the infinite scroll of social media and blend in seamlessly with the feed. Typically, these appear as posts sponsored by advertisers. In-Feed Native Ad A screenshot of a typical example of an Facebook in-feed ad. Source: Facebook Note how it looks exactly like any other post — people can comment, share and leave likes. The similarities between the ad and regular posts are the hallmark of native ads. List of Native Ad Networks for Publishers Our ratings for the Native Ad Networks are as follows for different checkpoints: Tool/Platform Revenue Potential Ad Quality and Relevance Platform Usability User Experience Publisher Control Technical Compatibility Compliance and Privacy Platform Reputation Value-Added Features Cost Structure Score Teads 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5.0 Outbrain 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5.0 Taboola 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5.0 Dianomi 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 4.4 Nativo 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 4.4 TripleLift 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 4.4 Adyoulike 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 MGID 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 Revcontent 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 StackAdapt 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 Sharethrough 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 Adsterra 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3.0 Ad.Style 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3.0 1 Teads ★★★★★ Teads Teads claims to reach a monthly total of 1.9 billion users across all of its partnered publications — though this number likely contains duplicate users. Some publications that have partnered with Teads include ESPN, The Economist and the BBC. For advertisers, Teads has a range of tools to help track users and show them relevant ads. One of these features is an advanced cookieless targeting system that relies on both contextual and first-party data, which Teads claims are 30% more accurate than industry benchmarks. The ad network also includes machine learning capabilities to tailor unique ad experiences to users. Teads also has several features for publishers, including traffic monitoring and real-time analytics. The network also supports multiple platforms including web, AMP and mobile apps. The native ad network specializes in video and includes a native, in-feed, video ad format. Traffic monitoring Real-time analytics Troubleshooting and optimization tools Only requires one ads.txt to get started All demand is unique Adheres to Coalition of Better Ads standards Bit of a learning curve Support limited to an account manager or FAQs 2 Outbrain ★★★★★ Outbrain Outbrain puts out more than 340 billion content recommendations per year and is used by major media publications such as Hearst, CNN and MSN. One feature that makes Outbrain stand apart from the other native advertising platforms is its integration of AI and machine learning capabilities in its native ad platform. The integration of the Smartlogic AI ensures that every user receives unique recommendations tailored to the user’s individual interest — a system that Outbrain claims raises its potential CTRs by 25%. Outbrain’s Smartlogic even controls functions such as the format the content recommendations take, adjusting the size and structure of the recommendations to suit specific users. In terms of publisher payments, Outbrain sends across payments on either a 60 or 90-day schedule, as long as it reaches the minimum amount of $50. As with other native ad platforms on this list, the amount of ad revenue a publisher receives is reached via an agreement. Smartlogic AI content recommendations Smartfeed system for customizable content recommendations Automated content filtering tools for publishers Content recommendations unique to individual users User-friendly interface Customer support isn’t as responsive as it should be Limited insights from analytics 3 Taboola ★★★★★ Taboola Taboola is the widest-reaching native advertising platform on this list, catering to over 1 billion users across more than 9,000 partnered publications, including Bloomberg, Business Insider and USA Today. The typical Taboola native ad usually appears as a set of content recommendations to different articles either in the feed or towards the end of an article. However, Taboola also has native ads that include in-feed video sponsorships. Taboola enforces a quality control policy within its content recommendations to ensure that no ads appear on the host’s site that could damage the publisher’s reputation. Another Taboola feature is a suite of tools that can be used to tailor the user experience (UX). Taboola provides both publishers and advertisers with actionable user data for editorial insights, and even allows A/B testing to measure content recommendation effectiveness. The latter is, however, a tool suited more for advertisers. However, tailoring content to specific users is an effective way to boost CTRs, which in turn boosts publishers’ income from their ad content. Taboola offers its advertisers two payment models for their campaigns: cost per click (CPC) model or cost per mille (CPM). Publisher payments through Taboola occur monthly through the Payoneer money transfer service. The portion of advertiser revenue taken by Taboola as payment for its service is reached via an agreement. Content recommendation panels A/B testing to tailor content Analytics suite Campaign set up is straight forward Easy-to-use interface Several targeting options Lacks performance whitelisting Creative approval process lacks clarity 4 Dianomi ★★★★☆ Dianomi Dianomi is another large native ad network with a global reach of 515 million users, with the added caveat of being designed to target premium audiences, with its average user income exceeding $100,000. Dianomi partners with more business-oriented publications, including Forbes, Reuters and The Washington Post. Dianomi claims to monetize 100% of a publisher’s inventory, with solutions across all publisher platforms including apps and social platforms. There are six different types of native ads that can run on Dianomi: video ads, in-article ads, in-feed ads, center page ads, below-article ads and ads that appear on the right rail. Dianomi allows publishers to arrange these elements as they see fit, meaning publishers can maintain consistency in the quality of their articles. As with others on this list, Dianomi doesn’t reveal the portion of advertiser revenue it takes as payment. Algorithm-based contextual targeting Bespoke ad formats Offers desktop, mobile, publisher app, mobile AMP and social media solutions Business-focus helps identify fit Full ad inventory monetization Contextual targeting ensures ad relevance Lack of transparent pricing 5 Nativo ★★★★☆ Nativo Nativo is a “storytelling” platform that is focused on using its in-house ad technologies to connect premium publishers with unique demand partners. Nativo is used by publications such as AP, Hearst and Nexstar. Nativo’s patented technologies combine ad serving, optimization and reporting solutions that can be used to boost the performance of native ads on a publisher’s site. Its ads are designed to scale and match the feel of the host’s site, making it appear as a natural element on the page. The ad network also has features that measure the performance of the native ad it displays, showing both the total impressions and the percentage of CTRs. It can also adjust the appearance and headline of the content recommendations as a form of real-time A/B testing. Nativo issues out its publisher payments on a monthly basis, with a minimum of $100 for a payout. Publishers can also request their portion of the ad revenue earlier, as long as the publisher’s revenue is more than $100. Nativo combines ad serving, optimization and reporting solutions Analytics suite Real-time A/B testing Publishers can use a range of pricing models Integrate ad-ops to improve revenue Contextual targeting to match audience intent Limited content design options 6 TripleLift ★★★★☆ TripleLift TripleLift offers a number of features, with native ads being just one of them. It’s used by publishers such as Buzzfeed, The New York Times and The Independent. Despite native ads being one of five options — the others being online video, CTV, display and branded content — TripleLift offers quite a few more options for native ad formats than many others on this list. Its formats include cinemagraph ads, image ads, scroll ads, window ads, carousel ads, reveal ads, and pharma ads that comply with FDA standards for pharmaceutical products. Cinemagraph ads are slightly different from video ads, as they display subtler movements and don’t have features such as sound or a pause button: they function more as a gif. TripleLift integrates with different ad tech software, including Google’s Display & Video 360, Double Verify, and News Guard. is also integrates with many demand-side platforms (DSPs) as well, including but not limited to Media Math, Adobe, and The Trade Desk. On top of all this, TripleLift also includes its own data management platform (DMP). There are three different options for publisher payments, two of which come with some financial transaction fees. The 30-day payments have a 2% financial transaction fee and the 60-day payments have a 1% financial transaction fee. However, the 90-day payments don’t have a fee attached. Multiple ad formats including cinemagraph ads TripleLift Audiences via in-house DMP Wide range of third-party integrations Control over audience segmentation Leverage first-party data to sell inventory Seamless site integration through lightweight tag Could use some more metric tracking options Limited campaign optimization options 7 Adyoulike ★★★★ Adyoulike Adyoulike is a native ad network that specializes in mobile users for premium publishers and manages a monthly ad impression rate of 50 billion. The network has partnerships with publishers such as The Guardian, Cosmopolitan and Vogue, and partnerships with advertisers such as Nikon, Dior Toyota and Rolex. The native ad network provides data about CPMs and CTRs in real-time, allowing for rapid adjustments in marketing schemes. It also has four different native ad solutions: native stories, social, video and display — all with adjustments to the format of ads. Open Web bought Adyoulike in November 2022, adding the network to its portfolio of publisher tech companies such as Hive Media. With the recent purchase, Adyoulike may undergo some changes as it adjusts to the new ownership. Connected to more than 50 DSPs Real-time data analytics Four native ad solutions Supports direct, Google Tag Manager or header bidding integrations Easy to use Stats and ad revenue updated in real time Server-to-server compatibility Limited customization options 8 MGID ★★★★ MGID MGID is a native ad network with a reach almost wide enough to contend with the likes of Taboola, leveraging its publisher partnerships to reach an audience of more than 850 million with 185 billion monthly content recommendations. Its publisher network includes Newsweek, Rolling Stone and Tribunnews. MGID has three different types of native ads it can integrate into a publisher’s site, including an in-content ad and a sidebar ad. However, of most interest is the MGID smart widget. Publishers can place this widget anywhere on the site they wish. The MGID smart widget has a few different types of rich media it can use to engage users, including both native videos and gifs. MGID’s publisher payments occur on a monthly basis. When it comes to ad revenue, MGID’s cut is worked out by an agreement with a publisher. MGID smart widget Wide range of integration types Facebook Instant Articles and AMP compatible native widgets MGID smart widget offers high degree of design flexibility Detailed audience targeting Internal and external content recirculation Questionable customer support 9 Revcontent ★★★★ Revcontent Revcontent is used by more than 2,000 websites and by publishers such as Next Star Digital, Barstool Sports and Minute Media. While Revcontent’s reach is much smaller than that of some of its competitors, it makes up for this in its features — particularly for US publishers. Revcontent provides the advertiser’s budget directly to the publisher through its publisher dashboard, meaning publishers can be informed about the best way to structure their content around Revcontent’s ad widgets. Another feature that provides editorial insight is Revcontent’s live map, which shows who is clicking on what ad content either by state in the US or by country internationally. The network also provides data such as daily, weekly or monthly ad revenue or the average viewable cost per thousand (vCPM). The data is mostly first-party based, which helps with preparations for Google’s eventual axing of the third-party cookie. Revcontent has monthly publisher payments that can either be done through an ACH transfer for US banks or a Wire transfer internationally. There is also the option for custom payment options such as Paypal. Publisher dashboard shows campaign budgets Flexible contracts Lightweight ad widgets Easy to use Reduced impact on page loading Detailed analytics Questionable customer support 10 Stackadapt ★★★★ Stackadapt Stackadapt is a multi-channel DSP that offers native ad capabilities. It has partnered with publishers including The Stable, White Spider Media and the AdVenture Media Group. Stackadapt offers a lot of dynamic opportunities in audience targeting, relying mostly on first-party data and second-party data obtained through B2B relationships. The DSP features a system of dynamic retargeting, remembering targets with a high intent to purchase and showcasing the content that originally engaged them. There are three different types of native ads that Stackadapt can employ — in-feed native ads, content recommendations and in-ad natives — display ads that copy the elements of native ads, including using native images, headlines and body texts. Interestingly, Stackadapt prices its ads on a cost-per-engagement (CPE) basis, which is more of an advantage for the advertiser than the publisher. AI can match ads with publishers Keyword Rule Targeting provide contextual targeting Programmatic native advertising Machine learning improves targeting accuracy Excellent customer support Easy to use platform Limited access to inventory in certain niches or regions 11 Sharethrough ★★★★ Sharethrough Sharethrough is a supply-side platform (SSP) that specializes in optimizing the performance of ad creatives in the real-time bidding (RTB) process — and one of the ways it achieves this is by providing publishers with the ability to place native ads on their sites. The SSP is used by publishers such as Gannett, Ziff Davis and Yahoo! and provides ads by companies such as Windows, Uber and T-Mobile. As an SSP, Sharethrough integrates cleanly into multiple DSPs such as TradeDesk, Adobe and MediaMath. Sharethrough also has integrations into different ad bidding software such as Google Open Bidding. In its suite of technology, Sharethrough has three different smart ad formats including enhanced banners, video, and native ads. They also have many different options for native ads, including in-feed recommendations, content widgets and even the ability to custom-create ads. Sharethrough pays its publishers on a monthly basis, with the exact share of the advertiser revenue decided via an agreement. SmartSuite technology aims to improve yields TrueTemplate technology automatically renders ads to match surrounding content Curated inventory packages and seasonal PMPs Directly integrates with all major DSPs Excellent support team Limited control over ad placement and contextual targeting Requires a well-designed creative strategy to ensure effectiveness 13 Best Native Ad Networks Please note that because these are not deep-dive reviews, we’ve listed the following platforms alphabetically rather than in order of preference. 12 Adsterra ★★★ Adsterra Adsterra has a network of 18,000 websites providing around 30 billion impressions monthly. Adsterra has partnered with companies such as PrimeR Global Wide Media and Cyber Ghost. This native ad network has a few noteworthy features available, such as a 100% fill rate for publisher inventory and automated processes that streamline native ad implementation. There are three levels of security to prevent fraud through Adsterra, both an in-house and third-party fraud detection system as well as a human check. On top of this, Adsterra claims to have anti-ad-block integration. There are five different types of native ad formats that Adsterra can implement: a pop-under ad, a social bar, an in-page push ad, native banners, and banners. Adsterra has one of the most timely publisher payment systems on this list, paying out to publishers twice a month rather than the typical once a month. Automated native ad implementation processes Three layers of ad fraud security Adblock revenue recovery Extra ad fraud protection Easy-to-use, self-serve experience Pays publishers twice per month Lack of demographic targeting 13 Ad.Style ★★★ ad.style Ad.Style is a native ad network with a wide range of advertiser partnerships, including companies such as Nespresso, Estee Lauder, Booking.com, Ikea, L’oreal and Toyota. The ad network is used by publishers such as Gannet, Albuquerque Journal and Variety. Ad.Style is a particularly strong candidate for publishers of B2C content, as the native ad network pushes for more commercial content. For advertisers, Ad.Style provides a suite of analytical tools to measure the effectiveness of creatives based on CTRs and conversions. Native ads are displayed on a publisher’s site using a widget that the publisher can add to desired pages, including AMP pages that have faster load times. To ensure that the widget doesn’t impede on a publisher’s load time and SEO, Ad.Style’s tech loads asynchronously. This means the site load speeds are not dependent on the widget. Ad.Style distributes its publisher payments net 30 days after the end of every month, as long as the publisher has a minimum revenue of $50.For a closer look at Ad.Style’s various features and how they work, check out our deep-dive walkthrough and review of the native ad network Serves ads in more than 30 languages Fast, lightweight ad widgets Analytics suite Easy-to-use interface Access to a wide variety of international audiences Easy to install widgets Publishers and advertisers use same dashboard Limited basket of payment options Final Thoughts Native advertising brings consistency of style to advertising that display ads simply cannot achieve. Publishers can place native ads on their sites to optimize their revenue without compromising their aesthetic. Native ads attract user attention more than regular display ads and drive more audience clicks. Native ads help brands reach their target audience effectively by blending seamlessly with the content, making them more engaging and less intrusive. While they’re an important addition to a publisher’s website, they’re not the be-all and end-all of digital advertising. A marketing campaign should make use of both styles of ads, as despite native ads having a higher CTR, display ads can raise brand awareness. It’s important for publishers to have a comprehensive view of the digital landscape, which is why it’s worth checking out our lists of other publisher-essential software.

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